OCR Text

Abilene Reporter News (Newspaper) - June 10, 1954, Abilene, Texas
PARTLY
CLOUDYUh Abilene Reporter ™'WITHOUT OR WITH OFFENSE TO FRIENDS OR FOES WE SKETCH YOUR WORLD EXACTLY AS IT GOES"—Bvron
VOL. LXIII, No. 356Associated Press (AP) ABILENE, TEXAS, THURSDAY MORNING, JUNE 10, 1954—TWENTY-EIGHT PAGES IN TWO SECTIONS
PRICE DAILY 5c, SUNDAY 10c
Welch Blasts McCarthy
'Cruel and Reckless'
WINS NOMINATION — James Roosevelt, surrounded by supporters at his headquarters in Los Angeles, waves a telegram in which his principal opponent for the Democratic 26th district congressional nomination conceded Roosevelt’s victory. (See story, Pg. 2-B.)
AGAINST LYNDON
Coke Still Bitter, Backs Dougherty
AUSTIN’. June 9 Former Gov.; feeling toward Johnson but made it
Coke Stevenson, still nursing the j hitter memory of his 87-vote defeat in the 1948 I S. senatorial race, today threw his weight behind a political novice in hopes of ousting the man who beat him. Sen.Lyndon Johnson.
Stevenson announced his acceptance of the chairmanship of a steering committee which will map strategy for state Rep. Dudley T. Dougherty of Heeville in his race against Johnson.
Now 66. Stevenson said He didn't get in the race as a candidate because he wouldn't want to leave the Hill Country where he still t^ops cedar posts and builds roads on his 26,000-acre ranch.
He disclaimed any “vindictive”
Dixie Chiefs Study School Segregation
RICHMOND. Va . June 9 Nine southern governors put their heads together here tomorrow to try to find the where-do-we-go-trom-here answers to the Supreme Court decision outlawing school segregation.
Three governors—Herman Tal-madge of Georgia, James F,
Byrnes of South Carolina and Hugh I White of Mississippi—have vowed to keep tin* races apart and. if need be. to abolish the public j school system.
Governors William B, I‘instead of North Carolina. Robert F. Ken-non of Louisiana and Thomas R Stanley of Virginia have indicated thev would like to see some plan knowledge of current world affairs devised whereby the South could I and United States* relations to the legally sidestep the court ruling. I rest of
plain he will hammer hard on his old claim of being robbed of victory in his bid for the Democratic nomination six yean ago.
Stevenson said his steering committee already is at work mapping plans for a campaign to cover the state.
“Those plans,” Stevenson said In a statement issued from Dougherty's headquarters, * include Precinct 18. Jim Wells county, where, on the Friday alter the August 1948 runoff primary, a sleight of hand miracle performance occurred—200 votes were added to the totals for Johnson, and for the first time m Te\as history a defacto incumbent has been sitting in the United States Senate
*‘I Was Nominee"
“Every fair minded person who followed the weird proceedings in the dukedom of Duval knows that a majority of the Democratic voters of Texas voted to make Coke Stevenson the nominee in 1948, he continued,
Stevenson, who supported Republican nominee Jack Porter against Johnson in the 1948 general election, renewed his 1948 complaint that “a compliant U S Supreme Court justice-' and * a supine Republican Senate" had arbitrarily cut off investigation of his allegations of election fraud Stevenson said Dougherty's backers will continue to remind Texas voters of the circumstances under which Johnson achieved his 87-vote majority m the 1948 primary in which nearly one million votes were cast
lias “Good Folks” Stevenson .-..id he knew Dougherty “came from good folks' and his father. Jim Dougherty, was “one of the <:reat lawyers of Texas and a great Texan He said he had found the 30-> ear-old Dougherty’s
Lloyd's Chief Due on Stand In Trial Today
AUSTIN, June 9 ?i-Ralph W. j Hammonds’ presence under protest in 98th District Court tomorrow was promised by his attorney today in the receivership trial of Lloyd’s of North America.
Hammonds, top man in the Hous-, ton insurance company, has been I absent during the first three days j ! of the trial in which the state ! seeks a permanent injunction to put the company out of business.
Judge Charles 0. Betts yester-) day had ordered Hammonds to appear tomorrow at the state’s request.
Hammonds’ attorney. Herman Jones of Austin, had countered it was not the burden of Hammonds to appear as a state's witness to help prove the state’s case.
He W ill Obey
Jones told Judge Betts today Hammonds will obey the court order but protests in advance any1 service of a subpoena on him while ; he is in the county pursuant to; the court order.
Subpoenas are not authorized by law outside the limits of a county in a civil suit. It was expected Jones’ notice of protest to the court laid possible basis for appeal from the court's order.
Witnesses testifying in the case today included Julian Cate, insurance commission examiner who was also on the stand all day yesterday, and Fred Cargill of Hous
ton and Bandera, an underwriter lor the Lloyd's company Handled By Taylor
Cargill testified to properties he and his wife conveyed by deeds of trust to the insurance company as security on notes made by the company.
Cargill said the matters were east of Amarillo. Flood waters] handled by Dent Taylor, attorney i backed up as far as Main street,
for Lloyd's, in w hom he and his | ancj a number of families had to
Senator on Stand After Bitter Row
WASHINGTON. June 9 J*—The McCarthy-Army hearings reached their high point of drama today, with Army counsel Joseph N. Welch accusing Sen. McCarthy (R-Wis) of recklessness, cruelty and lack of decency—and with McCarthy then taking the stand and beginning his main round of sworn testimony.
Many spectators in the jam-packed, steaming hot hearing room broke into loud, unchecked applause after Welch denounced McCarthy for referring to a young legal associate of Welch’s as a man with “a Communist front record.”
“If there is
Welch told the Wisconsin senator, “it will do neither you nor your cause any good.”
Welch then abruptly ended his cross - examination of McCarthy counsel Roy Cohn, and went outside to a hallway, where he broke dowm and wept.
McCarthy drew the denunciation for charging that Welch tried to “foist” on the investigations subcommittee a lawyer who once belonged to the National Lawyers Guild. He conceded that Welch— calling him “the completely phony Mr. Welch’’—presumably did not know at the time of this past affiliation of the lawyer, Frederick G. Fisher.
a God in heaven,”
McCarthy Takes Chair, Then Bolts
GOING THEIR SEPARATE WAYS—Sen. Stuart Symington (D-Mot, left, and Sen. Joseph McCarthy (R-Wis) right, go their separate ways at the breakup of an afternoon session of the McCarthy-Army hearing. Symington appears to be following Sen. John McClellan i D-Arkl from the hearing room. The session was marked by another sharp exchange between the pair. —
Rain and Hail 3,500 See Breck
Pound Wheal j Parade, Rodeo In Panhandle
On the aftermath of this clash. McCarthy took over the witness chair from Cohn. But he quickly left it and went to a big colored map and chart where he delivered an introductory lecture on communism-winding up with an implied attack on the foreign trade policy of the Eisenhower and Truman administrations.
He did not mention Eisenhower and he said this was “not a Democratic nor a Republican matter. ”
But he called for the election in November of ? Congress that will stop “sending American money to nations which ship the sinew s of war” to Communist China while
munist bloodstained dungeons.”
This is the same “blood trade” issue on which he has challenged Eisenhower before. The administration takes the position the United States in its own interest should aid other free nations even when those nations engage in limited trade with the Red bloc.
Earlier the running feud between McCarthy and Sen. Symington (D-Mo) hit a new fever mark.
McCarthy took Symington up on a dare—promised he’d go under oath before a special investigating committee on his financial affairs if Symington would give sworn testimony in the present inquiry. Neither senator made a firm comm it -
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kain deluges and wheat-damaging hail hit a large area of the Texas Panhandle late Wednesday.
Six inches fell near Groom, a town of about 700 people 45 miles
BY STUART CHILTON Reporter-News Staff Writer |
BRECKENR1DGE. June 9—s Breckenridge went western Wednesday and got the 11th annual
hundreds of American service men j ment on any specific time for tes-are “being brain washed in Com- 1 tifying, however.
Symington Denies Charge of Payoff
Stephens County Rodeo and Fair in this event with the 10 top riders underway for its four-dav stand, j competing for prize money in the A parade, which began at 5.30 final performance here Saturday p.m . got the ball rolling as an night.
array of floats, cowboys, cowgirls. Best time in the first nights and horses moved through the
ed the best rides in the bareback bronc riding. Third was George Watts of Cisco and fourth was
Don Smith of Breckenridge. jn lheir bitter exchange Me- * tators at this line of questioning,
Only one go-around is being held i Carthy referred to Svmington as and later struck out at Belch.
*_ ...------------ .u. — an ..aiieged man” and heavily im- —*—*• ““ *r
wife had complete confidence as their own lawyer.
“He told us we were very fortunate to get in on the ground floor of a new insurance company,”
Cargill testified.
The state is attempting to prove that the company was organized fraudulently and is now hopelessly insolvent.
Decision Will May Meanwhile, the 3rd Court of Civil Appeals refused to reconsider its decision in the Texas Mutual Co. receivership case The liquidator brought the suit., . .
seeking a court order to authorize &an slackening i assessment of an extra premium against certain of the Beaumont company's policyholders so debts of the insolvent firm could be paid.
The trial court said the assessment could be made, but the appeal court ruled it could not. Today’s refusal to rehear the case paved the way for a possible appeal by the liquidator to the Mate Supreme Court. ^
be evacuated.
The storm area was from Goodnight, Tex , 40 miles east of Amarillo The storm strip was about 15 miles wide.
This is a wheat-grow ing area, and much of the small grain was near the ripening stage. There was no doubt that much wheat was knocked down.
Hailstones ranged up to golf ball size but the hail fell intermittently. The ram fell almost constantly from about 5:30 p.m. until about 9:30 p.m. when it be-
downtown area.
Approximately' 3,500 persons turned out to see the first performance cf the rodeo Wednesday night at the local arena.
Bill Kiliion of Breckenridge and John Farris of Iowa Park register-
THE WEATHER
ABILENE AND cloud}' and w*rm shower« Thursday, er FtkUo- High Thursday night CS.
Best time in the first calf roping e\ ent w as made by John Burrow of W’axahachie. with 13.1 seconds. Second was J. B. Stoker of Breckenridge. 14.9; third. Pete Reid of Breckenridge.
28.1, and fourth Byrl Hittson, of Breckenridge. 27 3.
In the first performance in saddle bronc riding John Farris of low a Park w as top scoring rider j mg Second
plied he once paid off a known
Communist and took the money from the pay checks of St. Louis factory workers. Symington hotly demed the accusation, which McCarthy first made agamst him
He declared the elderly Army counsel originally brought to Washington as one of his aides a young lawyer associated with his firm, Frederick Fisher. who was—Mc-i Carthy said—a member of the j tionai Lawyers Guild after that or-two vears ago. I ganizauon was listed as subversive
The climactic encounter between by the House Committee on In -
W'elch and McCarthy came after , American Activities,
tho Rn«trm lawver—usine irony as t “I don t think. McCartny saia,
“you can find any place, any
where, an organization which has done more to defend Communists ... to defend espionage agents, and to aid the Communist cause, than the man whom you originally wanted down here at your right
the Boston lawyer—using irony as | his weapon—tried to show Cohn sat on ’ evidence of alleged sub-\ ersion in the Army instead of tak-it to Secretary Stevens and
VICINITY — Pml> and possible thunder- > Fair and a little cool- ; Thursday 90-53. low j High Friday near S4
2 Stay Silent
Two other governor* who'll lie on hand—Gordon Persons of Alabama and Charley Johns of Florida—have remained mum about the possibility of finding a circumvention method.
The ninth governor. William C Marland of W est Virginia, has said his state plans 10 action to try to get around the court’s May 17 decision.
In addition to the governors, other .-tales will be represented by educational and legal officials at the one-day session in a Rich-
the world was “superior j and in accord with my own views ” ] In one of his few dires t refer*, encos to Johnson, Stevenson said: “When l.yndon Johnson ran against j ine in 1948 I knew that his record was that of a time server who had i had no tixed philosophy. His record since then still shows he has no fixed philosophy.”
NEWS INDEX
SECTION
A
Women s newt
, .
. . . 4-5
Rodio-TV lof
____ 10
Oil news
... 16
SECTION
B
Sports ....
... 4-5
tdtfonols .....
, .
____ 6
Comics ......
,.
. . 7
Farm newt .....
... 11
Groom’s volunteer firemen were summoned by the town’s fire siren to the task of evacuating families.
Highway 66 was blocked both west and east ol Groom.
It was a day of contrasts. Most oi Texas had hot. dry weather but strong winds with gusts up to 40 miles an hour were reported at several Panhandle points
Pampa reported a heavy shower.
Across the rest of the state, skies were generally fair, broken only b> high thin clouds in the central portion, and some lower clouds along the coast.
Temperatures W’ednesdav ranges! from no degrees at Presidio to 84 at Corpus Christi. Laredo had the second highest. 100 degrees, and numerous stations report ed 99-plus readings.
north central TEXAS- fmiy
clouu' Widely M-juereJ thunderstorm*
late Thursday and In aoatheaal portiem Krtda> A little cooler northwest pur:ion Friday.
WEST TFVVS — Partly cloudy Thurs-d -v and Fr«l*.v Width scattered thunderstorm* west portion A ¡¡'.tie cooler Panhandle and South phui* Friday F TFXvs Partly cloudy. W idely
.utered thundershower* Friday and in north portion Thursday.
SOFTH CF.NTRAI TEXAS Part’' cloudy and warn. Thursday and Ftida> TEMPER ATl'RES
Wednesday night. Second was; saying:
Dutch Taylor of Albany; third was • "Sie ’em. Stevens.”
Tommy Riley of Iowa Park, and | McCarthy flushed under recur fourth. Glen Darlington of Camp rent bursts of laughter from spec- hand.
Breck Girl Leads 'Never Gauged Your Cruelty' - - Welch
Bea Hill of Breckenridge sped
to the best time in the girl spon- Welch paled and seemed to have someone other t.ian me.
Fors event. She turned in a time difficulty in speaking,
of U.6 seconds. Two girls from I “Until this moment, senator.’ he
McCarthy fired back that Welch had been “baiting ’ Cohn. He
Graham. Dorothy Stephens and said, “1 think I never really-! started again to talk about Fisher. Nell Ryan, tied for second place gauged your cruelty or your reck-j but Welch interrupted::
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Hs :h and km t«mr«f*<urt* for J4 hours ciuld »1 * 30 p m 41 and H.«ih and Km ten’peruum mm» date last >«■. r: lop and 77.
Suns« Iasi nttfht 1 43 p m Sunri*«- today J 31 a m. 'uiiurt I.w ght MI p in Rartvtnetet rsilmi at 14 -0 p. n 3# *4 Relative humidity at 9 JO p. m 23 per j cent.
with 12 seconds fiat. Fourth Jerry’ Ford of Lueders. 13.2 Best time in the wild cow milking contest was rog siered by Tom Bacon of Eastland. He had a time ot 25 3 seconds. Second was E J. FYeeman of Clyde. 29 4, and third. Bob Bowen of Grapevine'. 58.5 Riding judges are and David Rushing of Abilene. Roping judges are Clark McNabb and Ham Hefner, both of Breckenridge. Announcer is Nat Fleming of Wichita Falls. Arena director is Atkins 'Fat Boy) Wright of Breckenridge.
The rodeo stock was furnished by Goat Mayo oi Petroha.
Next rodeo performance is at 8 15 p.m. Thursday.
Let us not assassinate this lad further, senator. You have done enough Have you left no sense of decency?”
McCarthy would not be quieted. Welch may be * pained.” he said, but “there is no pain in his chest svme a»» i . . _ ... ... ,____about ... the attempt to destroy
Glen’com Dton of the Lawvers Guild vvhile .ie v a. ^ reputation and take the jobs *»..1...... m law school, and for some months | the vounjz men who
lessness
He went on to describe Fisher as a brilliant young man—a member of Uie Young Republican League in Newton. Mass. And he said he regretfully sent Fisher back to Boston when the young man told him he was a member
afterward.
"Little did I dream,” Welch said. ■ you could be so reckless and so cruel as to do an injury to that lad. ... I fear he shall always bear a scar needlessly inflicted by you. If it were in my power to torgive you for your reckless cruelty. I would do so. 1 like to think I am a gentle man. but vour forgiveness will have to come from
Death Ends Murder-for-Profit' Plot
LAKE WALES. Fla . June 9 p~ I
mond hotel .suite They are Arkan-J Kinmett Donnelly. 61. a lawyer ac* sas. Kentucky. Maryland, Oklaho- j cu>wj „$ plotting to kill three ma. Tennessee and Texas. The w<paii|jy person* by means ol a total turnout will be about 3.» j jjjj-mj gunman, was found dead to-Hoat Gov. Stanley doesn’t expect daVi an apparent suicide, tin* group to come up with an> j Donnelly's body was discovered strong declaration of policy or ky neighbor's children lying be-even to join in a common effort j a clump of poinstitia flow
at plotting a now educational course tor the southland,
Bants Ta learn Nor does there seem much like lihood that Talmadge. Byrnes ami White could swing the conference l>ehind a statement of dissent to the court ruling.
Gov, Marland. for one, made it plain he was not attending the meeting with any idea of seeking a way to evade the decision Rath* pi , In *»>d he w ;i* coming to • learn something” that would help West Virginia solve the resultant problems.
When asked what Imp though! the southern governor* could do, Marland replied :
“Obey the law.”
era at his home Officers think hi' put a shotgun, which was lying at his side, into his mouth and fired Fart of his head was blown oil
County Solnilor ('litlon Kelly said it appeared a suicide and recommended there l>e no inquest Coroner Frank Stanley agreed with this but lias made no otfieial pronouncement State Atty Gunter Stephenson says he is continuing to investigate Stephenson questioned Mrs Jessie Stanley, whom he identified as Donnelly's legal wife Donnelly and Willard
ach, 81, and Mrs Byrd T Roach, 51. b<rth of l ake Wales, and Mrs Louise Clark Hawley, alnnit 50. of Orlando
The two accused men were released on bond.
Sheriff Fat Gordon said Donnelly and Durden obtained service* of a trigger man who in turn became an informant for investigators in the suspected murder plot Investigating officials said l>on* nelly’s alleged motive was an op-portunity to profit by his position | as confidential attorney lor all | three intended victims, although details have not been disclosed.
L>oune!ly’s body w.»> at the edge oi a road near his lakeside cottage live miles from here Neighbor^ reported hearing a shot about 7:15 a m., but the body was not found until about 9 a.m.
Kelly said IHrtinelly x death Durden would not have any effect on the
as explained by officials, with his three clients:
1. Gerlach— Donnelly at one tune had full charge of his afiairs, but Gerlach changed attorneys sometime ago when Sheriff Gordon told him his life was threatened Among Donnelly’s papers were two notes totaling $32.000 made payable to Donnelly on Gerlach’» death Gerlach acknowledged his true signature was on the notes, but said he did not remember signing them and did not owe Donnelly anything.
2. Mrs Hawley—Among Donnelly s papers was a will siguevl by Mrs. Hawley leaving him Wr enure estate. She likewise said it was her signature but she did not knowingly Mgn the will and did not intend to make Donnelly her beneficiary Presumably Gerlach
i and Mrs Hawley signed these doc : untents while signing a number of ! ami me papers.
bond oi an estate oi about $300,000 left by her husband five years ago. She received one third of the estate and the other two-thirds went to various charities Kelly said it is the theory that with Mrs Roach out ot the way Donnelly would have no one to question payments to charities Oiticials also are checking the possibility that bequests to charities in Mrs. Roach's will, made at Donnelly's suggestion, are to dummy* charities which ne control lev!
As far as Durden s motive, the investigators said Donnelly s papers included canceled checks .showing he hod paid Durden $9.050 since the first of the year and that Durden had given no satisfactory explanation for such payments. Before these papers turned up,
last January and notit led hun.
At approximately the same time, Gordon said, authorities in Pensacola began working on the case from a different angle. Gordon explained it this way;
An unidentified man approaches! a Pensacola Negro, Manuel; Reev es. and asked if he wanted I to undertake a job as a trigger; man This man said he was representing Durden.
Reeves pretended to go along with the plot but instead notified i Hump Gandy, investigator for the Escambia County sheriffs office. J Reeves continued his undercover ! work cm the case u«Ut about two j weeks ago, reporting to Gandy regularly. Gandy decided he had enough concrete evidence to bring the matter to Gordon’s attention. Then it wa* discovered Gordon
were arrested on charges of con* prosecution of Durden spiring to kill foi profit K U. Ger | Hen wert Donnelly * positiuns.
inklings of the plot were received j had been working on the same from two sources. Sheriff Gordon! case. A few days ago Reeves said said the Tampa telephone ex* Durden was getting tired of his ex change overheard a conversation [ eases for not carrying out the kill-
away from the young were working in my committee ” “Mr. McCarthy.” Welch said, his voice ice cold and his manner radiating outrage "I will not discuss this matter with you further ... if there is a God in heaven, it will do neither you nor your cause any good.
“1 will not ask Mr. Cohn anymore questions. You. Mr. Chairman. may. u you will, call the next witness.”
Acting Chairman Mundt (R-SDK who twice daily has warned audiences against “any audible manifestations of approv al or disap* I proval.” made no move to check Sheriff Gordon decided to break the round of applause that greeted the ease. In order to make the! Welch's words. Some ot the um-
principala believe a killing had tomied pohcemen waved their
taken place and in the hopes of hands for silence, bu* did not go
* I beyond that
Welch, in the wake of tins episode. wore the aspect of a broken ; man. He hardly glanced up when,
after the mid-afternoon recess, 1 McCarthy took the stand. Outside
the hearing room, newsmen noted his eyes were red and tear-filled. McCarthy’s comment to the
See WELCH. Pg. $-A, CwL I
Weak Cool Front Due Late Today
A weak cool front is expected to hit Abilene Thursday, bringing ahead of it possible thundershowers.
A weather bureau forecast said Wednesday night the front would
3 Mrs Roach—Donnelly was sole executor and trustee without [ uidicaung a plot ag&mal Gerlach pugs
watching their reactions. Gordon arranged a fake abduction of Mrs. j Roach.
Gandv said after published re- j ports of Mrs. Roach * disappear- ( ance were circulated Reeves telephoned Durden and said: "1 pulled that job in Lake Wales last night and I want to know where 1 can pick up the package ”
Durden said “anyw here” and it, was arranged for tliem to meet.
' in the bus station at Haines City, |
: Gandy continued Durden was ar*; rested at that spot Monday after- i noon at the time set for the meet j mg with Reeves j Reeves said payment for killing .
Mrs. Roach was to have been $5,000 but Durden did not have the i i money when he was arrested. _ _ _
One ot the canceled checks made probably drop temperatures here out bv Donnelly to Durden on April ( 10-15 degrees from the 90 96 high
11» was lor $5,000. _ ‘ predicted Thursday,
;